Search - Skid Row :: Revolutions Per Minute

Kenneth W. (Eyesore) from TAUNTON, MA
Reviewed on 12/4/2007...

Skid Row have come a long way since the days of "Youth Gone Wild" and "Monkey Business." After two classic 80s rock releases -- Skid Row and Slave To The Grind -- Skid Row struggled to match the greatness of those two albums with their third full-length album, Subhuman Race. An increasingly volatile relationship between vocalist Sebastian Bach and the rest of the band effectively sent Skid Row to an early grave. However, the band did not stay dead. In 2003 the band released their fourth album, Thickskin; this time featuring the very capable and new lead singer Johnny Solinger. While more modern rock (reference 3 Doors Down, Seether, et al.) than 80s rock, Thickskin was a decent effort. The album featured some very good songs, especially "Ghost", which could have been a top 40 hit -- for any band not named Skid Row. And that's the problem. Skid Row is yet another band not willing to let go of a name that is far too synonymous with what they're clearly not anymore, and never will be again. Very few bands can make that generational leap, and the name "Skid Row" will likely always have that "washed up 80s rock band" stigma. Regardless, for the open-minded, Thickskin is a fairly solid release. And now we have the follow-up, Revolutions Per Minute.

While Thickskin had some oddball tracks -- like the horrendous updated punk cover of the classic "I Remember You" (titled "I Remember You Two") -- Revolutions Per Minute plays like a compilation album. This time out the band seems to have just gone into the studio and recorded whatever came to mind -- while drunk. Revolutions Per Minute jumps from modern rock to punk to -- puke -- country rockabilly nonsense. "Disease" starts thing off, and it's a solid modern rock tune with a slight punk vibe and a nice hook. The sleazy rock anthem "Another Dick In The System" follows, and again it's a very good song. The walls crumble right after. "Pulling My Heart Out From Under Me" is a quasi-acoustic pop rock song, while "When God Can't Wait" is trying way too hard to be Dropkick Murphy's (and would be a respectable song coming from that band). "White Trash" makes Sum 41 seem mature. And the hoedown starts sharply at track 8; "You Lie" is a twangtastic, country rockabilly turdfest -- a song we're subjected to twice, this version and the virtually identical Corn Fed Mix bonus track. The one other song worth mentioning is "Strength," an excellent modern rock take on the hit song by The Alarm. The rest of the songs bounce back and forth between styles; making for a seriously uneven, confusing, and difficult listen.

If Skid Row decided to record a stylistically consistent album, they'd do well in either style presented on this album -- if they pandered it to the right fans. Unfortunately Skid Row has rock fans, and rock fans want rocks songs, not country, or rockabilly, or punk songs. Somewhere on Revolutions Per Minute there's a great modern rock EP. Getting to it, though, is simply far too much of a chore.

Website: http://www.skidrow.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/skidrow

Not sure what to think

David Johnson | 10/25/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Let me say at the start that I don't hold the opinion that 'Bas IS Skid Row'. I'm more of the opinion that 'Rachal Bolan IS Skid Row' being that he's been the primary songwriter from the start, as well as a dominating guitar presence on the metal scene since the late 80's. I love Bas, but Johnny Solinger is a worthy successor and Bolan continues to write incredibly memorable songs with big riffs and metal sensibilities - as aptly demonstrated on 'Thickskin'- Skid Row's initial post-Bas offering.



Which is what makes it difficult to rate this album. It has the classic Bolan writing, Sollinger's vocals are solid, and the songs are memorable, but it's probably the least 'Skid Row' sounding album of the bands career. It doesn't compare by far to "Slave to the Grind" or "Thickskin." It's only comparable to "Subhuman Race" - Bas's final effort with the band - in that it has both the classic Skid Row sound, but several nasty suprises. The nasty suprises being two country/metal songs ('When God Can't Wait' and 'Lie') that would sound more at home on a Flogging Molly or Dropkick Murphy CD than on a Skid Row record. Further, the 'bonus track' is the 'corn-fed' mix of 'Lies' that for all intents and purposes sounds exactly the same as the original. Being the weakest song on the album - why make us listen to it twice?



I'm all in favor of bands growing and allowing their influences flow into their writing, but these two songs along with 'White Trash,' and 'Shut Up Baby I Love You' are so far off the beaten track, that it's hard to reconcile them with anything else in the Skid Row catalog. Sometimes this can be a good thing, but here it's just...odd. Additionally, the lyrics are a bit silly in places - reminding of Blink 182 or even Green Day - than the typical top notch lyrics Bolan and Snake have produced over the years. No doubt Sollinger will be blamed for this, but check the writing credits for each track - all Bolan and Snake (excepting the excellent Alarm cover 'Strength'). Since "Slave to the Grind," Skid Row lyrics have taken on pretty weighty issues and dealt with relationships in more mature prose than most any other metal band. This album seems to miss that angle in favor of flippancy and out of place profanity. Possibly to attract a younger fan base?



At first listen, this seems to be a transitional album. The guys are trying a few new things - which is not all bad. They retain their killer musicianship and production, as well as growing a bit sonically from the Thickskin album. If you like Skid Row, it's worth the price, but sadly, I'd say this is their weakest offering next to their hair-metalish self-titled debut. To the band I say - we want to hear you grow and change, but not radically, and not all at once. Skid Row's new line up is obviously a work in progress and I don't want to judge too harshly too soon. We'll see what the future brings.



Make sure to catch these guys on the road with King's X this fall and winter."

Better than most of the reviews...

Allister Fiend | Baltimore, MD United States | 10/26/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Before I picked up this disc I must've read a half dozen negative reviews about it, so I went in thinking this thing is going to be weak. Not true, in my opinion. It's very different than anything Bach-era, and even a step in a different direction than ThickSkin, but it still sounds like Skid Row to me. It's just Skid Row 2006.



The pros:

1. Catchy songs (even the 2 country-ish sounding ones that most people seem to hate).

2. There's more cohesion here than on ThickSkin, which seemed to jump back & forth style-wise from Slave to the Grind-ish rock to Matchbox 20 pop.

3. Johnny Solinger can sing. Bach was good, but I like this dude, too.



The cons:

1. Recording quality isn't as good on here. Sounds like they didn't spend a lot of $$ on the recording, especially the drum sound. ThickSkin sounded better.

2. The album's back cover looks like some piece of $%@* I'd make on PhotoShop. Not a big deal, but it looks cheap.

3. I agree with the other reviewers who can't tell the difference between the 2 versions of "You Lie" on here. They sound just about the same. What's the point? I do actually like the song, though.



Bottom line, if you're looking for 18 & Life 2006 it's not on here. I'm sure I'm in the minority here but I actually prefer ThickSkin & Revolutions Per Minute to the Bach-era stuff."